Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease
caused
by the spirochete bacteria Treponema pallidum. Syphilis is treatable
with antibiotics, but can have serious complications if not treated
soon after infection. Both men and women can have syphilis, and it can
be passed on from an infected pregnant woman to her unborn infant.
Syphilis occurs in 3
stages. In stages 1 and 2 a person is
infectious during sexual contact. The condition is transmitted by
skin-to-skin contact with an infected area. Sores develop on the site
that has touched the infectious area. Depending on the type of sexual
contact, sores may therefore appear on or near the genitals, lips,
fingers or anus. The hard, usually painless sores can appear any time
between 10 days to 3 months after acquiring the infection. Two to four
months after infection there may be symptoms including a skin rash,
patchy hair loss, fever, lumps around the genitals and anus, or general
tiredness. If not treated, these symptoms may disappear and then recur
over the next two years. The rash can be all over the body and is very
contagious. An infected, but untreated, person may remain infectious
through sexual contact for 2 years. The third stage occurs in about one
third of untreated individuals, and some people develop severe
complications involving the brain, heart, or spinal cord. Blood tests are used to
detect syphilis infection. After
treatment with antibiotics, further blood tests are done to check that
the infection has been cured. Do not have sex until the follow-up test
is clear. Recent sex partners need to be tested and treated.
